MELINDA: Some mangaka are stronger artists than writers, or vice versa, and most have pretty distinctive styles. If you could combine one mangaka’s writing with another mangaka’s art for a one-time collaboration, who would you put together and why?

MICHELLE: The first answer that comes to mind, in terms of someone with innovative ideas but an art style I’m not too fond of, is Osamu Tezuka. The expansion of the Astro Boy story “The Greatest Robot of Earth” into Pluto by Naoki Urasawa, therefore, is already a dream team of sorts for me. I’d like to see some other artists have a go at his stories, like CLAMP or Takehiko Inoue.

Also, for the pure giggles of it, I’d love to see Hiroaki Samura (Blade of the Immortal) write a bloody samurai tale illustrated by Arina Tanemura.

SAM: What a good idea for a roundtable! I must say that this has been wracking my mind ever since you asked but I have a few ideas.

First of all, I agree with Michelle that Tezuka X Urusawa is like a dream come true. I couldn’t have asked for a better mash-up!

I think from a shonen standpoint, I’d like to see two of the giants work together. The first pairing that comes to mind is Akira Toriyama (Dragonball, Dragonball Z, Cowa!) and Hirohiko Araki (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure). I think it could go either way with writing and art, as they both have their own distinct style of artwork, yet they also are able to mix comedy and action well together (Toriyama is obviously the better choice for comedy while I think Araki would be my choice if it was action).

Another idea that popped into my head was having Masashi (Naruto) and Seishi (O-Parts Hunter) Kishimoto team up and see what they come up with. I think a sibling team might work well.

CHLOE: Hmm… I feel like a three-way pair up between Kuroda Iou (Sexy Voice and Robo) and the already paired Housui Yamazaki & Otsuka Eiji (Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service) could produce some quirky/morbid, socially-aware seinen brilliance. As far as shojo goes, a Mizushiro Setona (After School Nightmare) and Shimotsuki Kayoko (C-Blossom, Midnight Ariadne) pair up would be dream-team fantastic; they both do offbeat stuff with an unusual psychological bent, but still within the realm of shojo. Not to mention that Shimotsuki is used to doing artist/author pair ups anyway…

Also, a Clamp x Tezuka version of Ribon no Kishi/Princess Knight. Because it would be awesome.

MICHELLE: Indeed it would. I almost mentioned it myself, but I think there already is an update running now, but it looks all sunny and nowhere near the dark brilliance CLAMP could achieve.

CONNIE: I’ll have to concur with the CLAMP and Tezuka collaboration. Though I think I imagine something more along the lines of Ode to Kirihito as the series, only because in my head it would look like X/1999.

The first pairing I thought of was actually Kentaro Miura (Berserk) and Hirohiko Araki (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure). Both have awesome art and stories. I don’t think I could assign roles to either one as far as writer and artist goes, but Miura’s sense of the epic combined with Araki’s sense of the rad would probably make for something very special.

And since Sam mentioned both Araki and Akira Toriyama earlier, there was a really fun one-chapter project between Akira Toriyama and Eiichiro Oda (One Piece) that came out a couple years ago. Those two would definitely be a dream team if they ever decided to work together on a long project. They both have similar style and tone, but I imagine they could bounce some really good ideas off one another.

And my mind can’t help but think of potential story matches for the nice ‘70s shoujo artwork of Moto Hagio (They Were 11) and Yumiko Oshima (Banana Bread Pudding). Part of me wants to see something ridiculous, like maybe a writer match-up with someone like Minetaro Mochizuki (Dragon Head), but then again, I can imagine Moto Hagio’s art being a good match for a psychological thriller. Yumiko Oshima has such a light, girly style that I can’t see her doing anything but cute romances. Maybe a pairing between her and Bisco Hatori (Ouran High School Host Club)?

MELINDA: I’m so excited by the ideas you’ve all come up with so far! I am especially loving Michelle and Chloe’s CLAMP x Tezuka pairing! Also, I gave up on reading Tactics despite the fact that I think the art is adorable, because the story was not able to grab me after four volumes. I’d love to see CLAMP storyteller Nanase Ohkawa team up with Sakura Kinoshita and Kazuko Higashiyama for a project and see if she brought out some darker tones that might put a bit more substance behind that cute, cute art.

So, you guys all know I’m a huge fan of Banana Fish, but art is definitely Akimi Yoshida’s weakness, so I’d love to see her teamed up with Ai Yazawa to add something really special visually. Now, one of the charms of Banana Fish is that it feels oddly dated (beyond its 1980s setting), almost like something from the 1950s. I don’t know if her other work reads that way, but I think Ai Yazawa might completely counter that or embrace it with passion and either way would be pretty cool. I’d like to see some cool fashion and sexy grit in a Yoshida manga.

Lastly, Satoru Takamiya really hooked me with her art in the gigantic mess that is Heaven’s Will. I’d love to see her work with a writer who really knows how to tell a story. Fruits Basket’s Natsuki Takaya might be a good choice, since she could bring in the supernatural elements and gender identity issues that Takamiya apparently is interested in.

MICHELLE: Your Banana Fish suggestion puts me in mind of Basara. While I personally really like Yumi Tamura’s art, it does take some getting used to, and is probably the reason I’ve heard cited most frequently for why someone failed to get into the series. Perhaps after Ai Yazawa got done with the Yoshida project, she’d try her hand at some sci-fi shojo!

MELINDA: Michelle, I would love to see that! I’m also a fan of Yumi Tamura’s art, but it would be pretty cool to see Ai Yazawa kind of working out of her comfort zone. I think it could be amazing.

ERIN: I’ll totally back the CLAMP X TEZUKA comic—that would be awesome.

Glancing at my shelf, I’d like to see Kentaro Miura (Berserk) or Hirohiko Araki (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure) do a reimagining of something girly, like Sand Chronicles or Kitchen Princess. Although, Araki’s Kitchen Princess might result in inedible food! Along those lines, if Natsumi Ando (Kitchen Princess) drew a volume of Oishinbo the Gourmet (written by Tetsu Kariya), that would be hilariously great.

I seem to want to pair titles and creators… What if Jiro Taniguchi (The Ice Wanderer, The Walking Man) did a take on Honey and Clover, or better yet Nodame Cantible? I’d like to see Taniguchi draw an orchestra! Actually Chika Umino (Honey and Clover) did a Berserk cover a few months ago.

How about pairings of Japanese creators and American comics (sure, it’s been done in the past but…)? What if Rumiko Takahashi (InuYasha) did a take on the X-Men? Or better yet, Hideo Azuma’s (Disappearance Diary) X-men? Super-cute X-men!

MICHELLE: Words cannot express how much I love the idea of Taniguchi drawing Nodame Cantabile.

KEN: Here’s yet another vote for the CLAMP X Tezuka pairing. It’d be interesting that’s for sure.

A Samura/Koike pairing would be nice. It’d be manly samurai action dialed up to eleven. Maybe a Saito/Sonoda collaboration just to see what kind of gun porn they’d crank out.

CONNIE: Count me in on the Samura and Koike team. The two go together really well. I could see Koike writing with Takehiko Inoue too. Either of those teams could probably produce the world’s most insane samurai. Also, I imagine Masamune Shirow and Hiroki Endo would make fabulous gun porn together.

The thought of Natsumi Ando drawing Oishinbo brought a smile to my face. That’s a really good pairing, too. Unfortunately, my brain refuses to see anything but Miura’s depictions of decapitations when I think of him drawing Kitchen Princess. I guess in theory that drawing skill could be transposed into any sort of vegetable chopping scene that would be needed.

SAM: Just to chime in, I completely agree with the CLAMP x Tezuka idea. Also, thanks to Connie for pointing out the Cross Epoch comic. I found that earlier this year and was really excited! They would go really well together! Actually, all of these ideas sound great, especially Rumiko Takahashi’s X-Men!

MELINDA: Now that I’m recovered from my trip, I have a few more ideas.

I have this weird idea that I’d like to see Hiromu Arakawa (Fullmetal Alchemist) write shojo, because I think she is an exceptional storyteller and that she’d write romance in a really restrained way that would not dominate a story. I wouldn’t expect this to be set in a high school or anything like that—epic fantasy is still the way to go—and for this I’d pair her up with Yuu Watase (Fushigi Yugi) doing the art.

I’d also like to see collaboration between Yuki Urushibara (Mushishi) and Toriko Gin (Song of the Hanging Sky), but I’d like them to collaborate equally on both story and art. I think they have some similar sensibilities, but Urushibara would bring in a wispy, otherworldly quality, and Gin would ground that in an overarching plot.

Count me in as well for Rumiko Takahashi’s X-Men!

Also, despite my excitement about Bakuman, I’d love to see Takeshi Obata draw with someone other than Tsugumi Ohba again. Maybe I just can’t let go of Hikaru no Go, I don’t know. Anyone have ideas?

SAM: I feel like Obata would work really well with Nobuhiro Watsuki (Rurouni Kenshin, Buso Renkin, Gun Blaze West). Watsuki actually worked under Obata as an assistant at one point (which explains their similar art styles). On the other hand, I’d like to see him branch out and do something maybe less actiony and more supenseful. Maybe an Urasawa x Obata could work?

MELINDA: Sam, those are fantastic ideas!

I had a kind of weird idea myself. What if he teamed up with Keiichi Sigsawa (Kino no Tabi, Allison) who as far as I know has never written manga? I love the artist who illustrates his light novels, but it might be cool to see him actually write a manga with the likes of Obata. It would be something completely different for both of them.

MICHELLE: See, now you’re making me think about which artist should illustrate my favorite novels! The first to pop into my head is Kaoru Mori (Emma) doing Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

MELINDA: Ha! Okay, for whatever reason your idea here sent me straight back to my pre-teen years, and now I really want a new version of S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders with illustrations by Takeshi Obata. I have found my ultimate Obata collaboration!

Also (and I can’t believe I’m going to say this, since I adore Tasha Tudor with all my heart) a new version of The Secret Garden with illustrations by Peach Pit.

CHLOE: Wait, are we including author x mangaka pairings in that? Because I’d seriously want to see Urasawa do Crime and Punishment (Urusawa x Dostoevsky…?) or perhaps a Mochizuki Minetaro (Dragon Head) version of Heart of Darkness.

CONNIE: One last comment, which I will keep short because the possibilities of mangaka illustrating my favorite novels is something I’m sure I could go on about forever.

I would love to see Moyoco Anno (Happy Mania) do illustrations (or even a manga adaptation) of Thackeray’s Vanity Fair, preferably in her Sakuran style. I’d also give much to see a Mike Hammer novel illustrated by Ryoichi Ikegami (Wounded Man) or Takao Saito (Golgo 13).

MELINDA: Thanks, Connie, I think that is the perfect place to end! Thank you everyone for participating!

Editor’s Note: Credit for these awesome images goes to Melinda Beasi.